The onion fly modulates the adult eclosion time in response to amplitude of temperature cycle

To confirm whether the amplitude of diel temperature cycles causes a phase shift of adult eclosion rhythm of the onion fly, Delia antiqua, the peak time (Ø _E) of adult eclosion was determined under various thermoperiods with a fixed temperature either in the warm or cool phase and temperature differences ranging from 1°C to 4°C between the two phases. Irrespective of the temperature level during the warm or cool phase, Ø _E occurred earlier with decreasing amplitude of the temperature cycle. The results strongly support the previous conclusion of Tanaka and Watari (Naturwissenschaften 90:76–79, 2003) that D. antiqua responds to the amplitude of temperature cycle as a cue for the circadian adult eclosion timing. The phase advance was larger in thermoperiods with a fixed warm-phase temperature than in those with a fixed cool-phase temperature. This might be ascribed to the interaction between the amplitude and level of temperature in the thermoperiodic regimes.     

Evaluating waste disposal systems

Waste disposal systems conventionally exhibit many problems, such as difficulties in finding final disposal sites for incinerator residues and the issue of how to recycle waste materials. Some new technologies have been developed to solve such problems, including ash melting and gasification melting. Furthermore, to improve the power generation efficiency of waste treatment facilities so that their energy is used more efficiently, combined stoker/gas turbine power generation (super waste power generation) technology has been developed. Through examination of two cases in this study, environmental impacts and costs were determined using lifecycle assessment (LCA) and lifecycle cost (LCC) methods in a model city. In case 1, a stoker furnace was compared to a combined stoker/gas turbine system. In case 2, a stoker furnace plus ash melting system was compared to a gasification melting system. The results demonstrate that the stoker furnace has a lower environmental impact than the combined stoker/gas turbine system in case 1, and that the stoker plus ash melting system costs less than the gasification melting system in case 2, but both systems had strong impacts on the environment.     

Distribution of total mercury, methyl mercury and selenium in pod of killer whales (Orcinus Orca) stranded in the northern area of Japan: comparison of mature females with calves

Total mercury (T-Hg) and selenium (Se) concentrations in liver, kidney and muscle from a pod of killer whales including five mature females and three calves stranded in the northern area of Japan were analyzed. In the mature female, contamination level of T-Hg in the liver sample (62.2+/-21.9 microg/wet g) was markedly higher than that in kidney sample and muscle sample. The molar ratio of T-Hg to Se in the liver sample was approximately 1, and those in the kidney and muscle samples were markedly lower than 1. These results suggest that the formation of HgSe compound increases the hepatic accumulation of mercury (Hg). In contrast, contamination level of T-Hg in the calf organs was much lower than that in the mature female organs. These results suggest that the transfer of Hg from the mother to the fetus via placenta and/or to calf via milk is trace.     

Medaka (Oryzias latipes) for use in evaluating developmental effects of endocrine active chemicals with special reference to gonadal intersex (testis-ova).

Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) has been widely used for the evaluation of the toxicity of endocrine active chemicals (EACs) and other chemicals as well as for monitoring the adverse effects of effluent discharges in relation to sexual development and function. It is useful for these evaluations for many reasons including the following: 1) it has a short life cycle facilitating studies extending over long phases of development and over multigenerations, 2) it is easy to rear, 3) male and female phenotypes can easily be distinguished on the basis of secondary sex characteristics, and 4) a genetic marker (DMY) is available for identifying the true genotypic sex. Several biomarkers have been found to be useful for identifying the effects of exposure to estrogenic and androgenic chemicals in medaka and they include increased levels of hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) and testis-ova induction in males for exposure to estrogenic chemicals, and decreased levels of hepatic VTG in females and an altered morphology of dorsal and anal fins and formation of papillae for androgenic chemicals. In this paper, we present a critical analysis of the use of medaka as a test species for studies of endocrine disruption and report on the use of sex-related genetic markers and alterations in gonadal development, including the induction of testis-ova formation, for assessing the disruptive effects of EACs. In this paper, we focus on some of the more recent studies and findings.     

Heterogeneous Sulfate Formation on Dust Surface and Its Dependence on Mineralogy: Balloon-Borne Observations from Balloon-Borne Measurements in The Surface Atmosphere of Beijing, China

This study focuses on providing a direct insight into the process by which sulfate is formed on mineral dust surface in the actual atmosphere. Six sets of aerosol measurements were conducted in the outskirts of Beijing, China, in 2002–2003 using a tethered balloon. The mineralogy of individual dust particles, as well as its influence on the S (sulfur) loadings was investigated by SEM-EDX analysis of the directly collected particles. The mixed layer in the urban atmosphere was found to be quite low (500–600m), often appearing as a particle dense stagnant layer above the surface. It is suggested that mineral dust is a common and important fraction of the coarse particles in Beijing (35–68%), and that it is relatively enriched with Calcite (>28%). An exceptional amount of S was detected in the mineral particles, which can be explained neither by their original composition, nor by coagulation processes between the submicron sulfates and the dust. Heterogeneous uptake of gaseous SO₂, and its subsequent oxidation on dust was suggested as the main pathway that has actually taken place in the ambient environment. The mineral class found with the largest number of particles containing S was Calcite, followed by Dolomite, Clay, Amphibole etc., Feldspar, and Quartz. Among them, Calcite and Dolomite showed distinctly higher efficiency in collecting sulfate than the other types. A positive correlation was found with the number of S containing particles and the relative humidity. Calcite in particular, since almost all of its particles was found to contain S above 60% r.h. On the other hand, the active uptake of SO₂ by the carbonates was not suggested in the free troposphere downwind, and all the mineral classes exhibited similar S content. Relative humidity in the free troposphere was suggested as the key factor controlling the SO₂ uptake among the mineral types. In terms of sulfate loadings, the relationship was not linear, but rather increased exponentially as a function of relative humidity. The humidity-dependent uptake capacity of mineral types altogether showed an intermediate value of 0.07 gSO₄ ²⁻ g⁻¹ mineral at 30% r.h. and 0.40 gSO₄ ²⁻ g⁻¹ mineral at 80%, which is fairly consistent with laboratory experiments.     

Plutonium(VI) accumulation and reduction by lichen biomass: correlation with U(VI)

The uptake of plutonium(VI) and uranium(VI) by lichen biomass was studied in the foliose lichen Parmotrema tinctorum to elucidate the migration behavior of Pu and U in the terrestrial environment. Pu and U uptake by P. tinctorum averaged 0.040+/-0.010 and 0.055+/-0.015 g gdry (-1), respectively, after 96 h incubation with 4.0 x 10(14) mol 1(-1) Pu solutions of pH 3, 4 and 5. SEM observations showed that the accumulated Pu is evenly distributed on the upper and lower surfaces of P. tinctorum, in contrast to U(VI), which accumulated in both cortical and medullary layers. UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy demonstrates that a fraction of Pu(VI) in the solution is reduced to Pu(V) by the organic substances released from P. tinctorum, and the accumulated Pu on the surface is reduced to Pu(IV), while U(VI) keeps the oxidation state of VI. Since the solubility of Pu(IV) hydroxides is very low, reduced Pu(VI) does not penetrate to the medullary layers, but is probably precipitated as Pu(IV) hydroxides on the cortical lichen surface. It is concluded that the uptake and reduction of Pu(VI) by lichens is important to determine the mobilization and oxidation states of Pu in the terrestrial environment.     

Features in Number Concentration-Size Distributions of Aerosols in the Free Atmosphere over the Desert Areas in the Asian Continent: Balloon-Borne Measurements at Dunhuang,China

Vertical changes of aerosol concentration and size in the freetroposphere over the Asian desert areas were firstly observed using a balloon-borne optical particle counter at DunHuang, China (40°00N, 94°30E) (17 August and 17 October 2001, and 11 January 2002). In the free troposphere highly concentrated aerosol layers were frequentlyobserved, suggesting the importance of regional scale particletransportation over the Asian continent. Concentration ofparticles with a diameter larger than 0.15 m was about 5–10particles cm^-3 in the free troposphere.Particle number-size distribution in the free troposphereshows important contribution of super micron particles. Regionalscale transportation, in addition to diffusion of soil particlesfrom the lower atmosphere to the free troposphere through localand small scale air motions, is suggested by backward trajectoryanalysis of air masses containing super micron particles. The importance of horizontal transport of coarse size particles in the free troposphere was strongly suggested.Thickness of the boundary mixing layer, from distributions ofparticle concentration, was about 4 km in summer (17 August 2001)and apparently higher than the height of layers in fall (17 October2001) and in winter (11 January 2002), which suggest an active mixingof particles near the boundary in summer. In winter measurement(11 January 2002), strong inversion was found in the vertical profile of temperature, suggesting cold ground surface and vertically stable atmosphere near the ground.     

Comparison of the Chemical Composition of Mineral Particles Collected in Dunhuang,China and those Collected in the Free Troposphere over Japan: Possible Chemical Modification during Long-Range Transport

The Asian continent is recognized as one of the most important sources of mineral (or soil) particles. These particles have a large potential to effect global changes through the biogeochemical cycle of particulates and through radiative balance (IPCC Third Assessment Report, 2001). Therefore, comparison of particle compositions near the source region and those after long-range transport is important in understanding the long-range particle transport phenomenon. Individual aerosolparticles were collected in Dunhuang (40°09N; 94°41E), China. Particles were collected at the campus of the Meteorological Bureau of Dunhuang City (17 August 2001) and near the Mogao Grots, located approximately 30 km from Dunhuang (18 August 2001, 18 October 2001 and 13 January 2002) using a two-stage low-volume impactor. The morphology of individual aerosol particles and their elemental compositions were examined via a scanning electron microscope (Hitachi, S-3000N) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzer (Horiba, EMAX-500). The particles collected at these locations were comprised primarily of minerals, with the exception of sulphateparticles in the submicron range that were contained in thesample collected on 18 October 2001 (likely, ammonium sulphate). The most abundant elements were found to be Si and Al. Approximately 46–77% of the collected particles were Si-richparticles (composed primarily of quartz and aluminosilicate),and 13–41% of the collected particles were Ca-rich particles,such as calcite (CaCO₃), dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂),and gypsum (CaSO₄2H₂O). The fractions of Fe-rich, Mg-rich, Ti-rich, K-rich, and Cl-rich were 3–10, 0–7, 0–3, 0–1, and 0–1%, respectively. Similar types of mineral particles were found in the free troposphere over Japan(Trochkine et al., 2002). A number of differences were found to exist between the particles collected in China and thosecollected in Japan, and these differences can be explained bychemical modification of the particles during transport fromChina to Japan.     

Adult eclosion timing of the onion fly,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Delia antiqua</Emphasis>, in response to daily cycles of temperature at different soil depths

For insects pupating in the soil, the day/night temperature cycle may provide a primary time cue (Zeitgeber) for adult eclosion to occur at an appropriate time of the day. In the soil, however, the phase of temperature cycle is delayed with depth because of the low heat conductivity of the soil. Therefore pupae located deeper in the soil may compensate for the depth-dependent phase delay of Zeitgeber to avoid mistimed emergence. We examined the adult eclosion timing of the onion fly, Delia antiqua, pupating at different depths in soil and under various thermoperiods in the laboratory to determine if such compensation indeed occurs. We found that D. antiqua is able to compensate for the depth-dependent phase delay of the Zeitgeber by advancing the eclosion timing in response to the amplitude of the temperature cycle decreasing with depth.     

GC/MS analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in fish collected from the Inland Sea of Seto, Japan

Development of an analytical method for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish and their concentration in Japanese marine fish were investigated. Fish homogenate was extracted with diethyl ether/hexane (1 + 3). The extract was cleaned up by automated gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and then by mini-column chromatography, which consisted of three layers of silica gel and sulfuric acid-impregnated silica gel. The PBDE fraction was concentrated and injected into a GC/MS with negative chemical ionization (NCl). Recoveries of the 15 individual PBDEs (BDE-15, 28, 37, 47, 66, 71, 75, 77, 85, 99, 100, 119, 153, 154, and 209) each at a fortification level of 4 ng/g lipid were in the range of 88-128% and the relative standard deviations (RSD) were 0.43-7.6% (n = 4). Seven species of marine fish (conger eel, flounder, gray mullet, horse mackerel, red sea bream, sea bass, and yellowtail) were collected from the Inland Sea of Seto, and were analyzed with the developed method. Seven PBDEs (BDE-28, 47, 66, 99, 100, 153, and 154) were detected in all the samples. The most abundant PBDE congener was BDE-47 found in all the samples. Relatively high levels of PBDEs were found in the gray mullets and yellowtails.